“The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy prepared a document for Federal agencies about terminology related to substance use and substance use disorders. The document was developed in consultation with external research, policy, provider, and consumer stakeholders and in collaboration with Federal government agencies. It addresses the role stigma plays, identifies scientific and medical literature demonstrating how certain terminology adversely affects the quality of health care and treatment outcomes, and promotes the use of person-first language and terminology that aligns with the current edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Because stigma and shame may deter help-seeking behavior among individuals with substance use disorders and their families, the document draws attention to terminology that may cause confusion or perpetuate stigma.”
The document can be accessed at: https://s3.amazonaws.com/core-products-s3/e81e0e06-a767-415c-a8bc-ad5f64295b95?response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D%22Memo%2520-%2520Changing%2520Federal%2520Terminology%2520Regrading%2520Substance%2520Use%2520and
%2520Substance%2520Use%2520Disorders.pdf%22%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27Memo%2520-%2520Changing%2520Federal%2520Terminology%2520Regrading%2520Substance%2520Use%2520
and%2520Substance%2520Use%2520Disorders.pdf&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAJEJX3SFQYQNRCXMQ%2F20170125%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20170125T155430Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=Host&X-Amz-Expires=604800&X-Amz-Signature=0acf5c71be584de8791e1f30117adbd00a70cc193ba6c1ab13b53baec67277f2
Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy – January 9, 2017
